Senator moves to withdraw plea in sex sting

Associated Press

Published
4:00 am PDT, Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Attorneys for U.S. Sen. Larry Craig are asking the Minnesota Court of Appeals to correct a "manifest injustice" and allow the Idaho Republican to withdraw his guilty plea stemming from an airport restroom sex sting.

In court papers filed Tuesday, the lawyers asked the appellate judges to reverse the trial court's decision to let stand Craig's guilty plea to a disorderly conduct charge. They also asked the court to vacate his plea.

Craig was arrested in June in a restroom stall at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport during a broad sweep targeting men soliciting sex.

After news of his arrest and plea became public in August, Craig denied wrongdoing. He insisted his actions were misconstrued and said he isn't gay. He said he pleaded guilty and paid a fine hoping to resolve the matter quietly.

He later tried to withdraw his guilty plea, but a Hennepin County judge refused.

Tuesday's filing repeats many arguments that Craig's attorneys made before, including claims that the lower court abused its discretion.